electronic-wechat
:speech_balloon: A better WeChat on macOS and Linux. Built with Electron by Zhongyi Tong.
An archived Electron-based desktop WeChat client for macOS and Linux that added features like blocking message recall and removing redirect links, no longer functional as Tencent now actively blocks third-party clients.
Electronic WeChat was a desktop application that wrapped WeChat's web interface in a native-feeling app for macOS and Linux. WeChat is a Chinese messaging platform, and for years it did not have an official desktop app for those operating systems. This project filled that gap by using a tool called Electron, which lets developers package websites into standalone desktop apps.
The app added several features beyond what the standard WeChat web interface offered. It could block message recall, which prevented other people from deleting messages you had already seen. It showed sticker content properly, supported mentioning people by name in group chats, allowed dragging and dropping photos to send them, and removed redirect links that WeChat normally uses when sharing URLs to external websites.
The project is no longer actively developed or maintained. The author notes that when Tencent (the company that makes WeChat) began releasing its own regular desktop updates and actively blocking unofficial third-party clients, continuing to maintain this project stopped being worthwhile. The repository now exists as an archive and a reference for others who want to learn from or build on the code.
While it was active, the app could be installed on macOS using Homebrew with a single command, or built from the source code using Node.js and npm. Pre-built downloads were also available on the GitHub releases page. Community members also maintained packages for various Linux distributions.
If you are looking for a WeChat desktop client today, this project will not work reliably due to Tencent's blocking of third-party clients and the absence of ongoing maintenance. The official WeChat desktop apps now cover macOS and Windows.
Where it fits
- Study how to wrap a web app inside an Electron desktop application as a learning or reference project.
- Use the codebase as a reference for building your own Electron app that intercepts and modifies web content.